LLDP is a well-known neighbor discovery protocol, which allows Ethernet network devices to advertise topology information such as device configuration and identification details to neighboring devices. For example, an Ethernet blade switch can advertise the presence of its ports, major capabilities, and a current status to other LLDP stations in the same LAN. LLDP transmissions occur on ports at regular intervals or whenever there is a relevant change to their status. The switch can also receive LLDP information advertised from adjacent LLDP-capable network devices. The information is exchanged via a plurality of TLVs provided in an LLDP packet during transmission.
As data center technologies evolve, the number of TLVs in an LLDP packet has increased along with the amount of information contained in the TLVs. However, the maximum frame size for transmitting an LLDP packet across an Ethernet network is 1522 bytes. Thus, the number of TLVs transmitted in a given single LLDP instance is limited.